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Machine Tools Orders Fell in November

United States demand for machine tools fell in November, two industry groups said today, adding that manufacturers would probably continue to limit their capital equipment investments.

The American Machine Tool Distributors' Association and the Association for Manufacturing Technology estimated demand in November at $452 million, down 18 percent from $553 million in October. October orders were revised upward from a previously estimated $529 million.

November demand was also down 7 percent from $487 million estimated for November 1998. Orders in the first 11 months of 1999 totaled $5.2 billion, off 28 percent from figures in the period a year earlier.

''As the machine tool industry concludes one of the weakest sales years of the decade, it appears U.S. manufacturers will continue their limited investment in capital equipment,'' said Ralph Nappi, president of the distributors association.

Demand for machine tools can provide a leading indicator of the pace of manufacturing.

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A version of this article appears in print on January 10, 2000, on Page C00012 of the National edition with the headline: Machine Tools Orders Fell in November. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe